Idaho Mountain Express: Arritola runs to XTERRA world title

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Arritola runs to XTERRA world title

Sunday in Hawaii

It's cold here, but Ketchum's Morgan Arritola was in balmy and humid Hawaii Sunday, Dec. 4 where she won the women's title of the 2011 XTERRA Trail Run World Championships at Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu.

Arritola, 25, won $2,000 for taking the title on the 21-kilometer (13.1-mile) course with a finishing time of 1.33:00, nearly five minutes ahead of her closest female pursuer. She was 10th overall out of 687 finishers and won Women's 25-29.

It was her first XTERRA Trail Run World Championship in her first race in Hawaii, and she said she now understands why the course is often described as breathtaking in more ways than one.

"It was beautiful," said Arritola, who was recently training on cross-country skis in Ketchum and competing at West Yellowstone, Mt. "I wish I wasn't dying so much out there so I could have enjoyed it a little more. The humidity really got to me."

"The start was mayhem, there were so many runners," she said. "So I kind of just kept running and never really saw any of the other women."

Lucy Smith, a former Canadian cross-country champion, placed second with a time of 1:37:46. It was also her first appearance at the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship. Smith said Arritola was within sight for the first few miles, but the Ketchum woman took off.

"Morgan was running at a pace I kind of knew I couldn't hold," Smith said.

Max King, 31, of Bend, Ore. won the XTERRA Trail Run World title for the fourth consecutive year. His winning time was 1.21:27. He was 89 seconds ahead of the next man.

King, an Olympic marathon hopeful, received $2,000 and a roundtrip airfare from Hawaiian Airlines for the victory. He has won the world event every year since it started in 2008.

Sunday's race purse of $10,000 was divided among the top seven men and women.

Both King and Arritola were also the winners Sept. 25 during the XTERRA Trail Run national championships at Snowbasin, Utah. King (1.17:59) won that event and Arritola (1.29:09) placed ninth overall. That was a high altitude event, compared to Sunday's world championship at lower elevations.

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